Some of the first lagoons for farm wastes were put into service in North Dakota in 1960. A few of
these lagoons were still in use in 1968. These could be used to indicate how such disposal systems could be expected to perform in the kind of climate
found in North Dakota. The first lagoons installed were designed to receive all solid and liquid wastes from livestock buildings. The various types of waste arrangements were discussed in this article. One particular method was addressed - a system designed to evaluate the benefits of low volume aeration. The negative, the odor of lagoons, was addressed. Lagoons were serving quite well to manage overflow water in keeping it from settling tanks. Subsoil disposal of such waste water often was impractical because of low permeability characteristics of many soils. Both aerated and unaerated lagoons effectively disposed of wastes, research indicated, but existing lagoon systems required modifications to overcome shortcomings.